Reclosable carton

ABSTRACT

A carton accommodates a flexible vessel and includes a reclosure feature. The reclosure feature provides a relatively tight seal for the contents of the flexible vessel.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/680,158, filed May 12, 2005, entitled “Reclosable Carton,” the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference as if presented herein.

BACKGROUND

Dispensing paperboard cartons are known. The cartons typically accommodate a flexible bag used to store foodstuffs and other dispensable items. Conventional cartons have a top panel formed from four glued flaps that are separable to open a top portion of the carton. The bag can be opened and the contents of the carton dispensed from the opened carton, top. The top panel, however, when reclosed, may not provide a sufficiently tight seal for the contents of the bag. Conventional paperboard cartons also occupy a fixed volume that is determined by the amount of product held within the carton upon initial sale. When a portion of the product held within the carton is consumed, the carton continues to occupy a relatively large storage space, which may be limited, to store a reduced amount of product.

SUMMARY

According to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention, a carton comprises a first side panel, a first end panel, a second side panel, a second end panel, a top panel, a bottom panel, a flexible vessel disposed within the carton, and a tear strip extending around the perimeter of the carton. The flexible vessel can accommodate, for example, dispensable articles such as foodstuffs. The tear strip at least partially defines a first reclosure flap in the first side panel and a second reclosure flap in the second side panel.

According to one exemplary aspect of the first embodiment, the tear strip can be removed in order to separate the carton into an upper section and a reclosable lower section. Removing the upper section of the carton allows access to the flexible vessel accommodated within the reclosable lower section, from which a user can dispense product stored in the vessel. When the user has dispensed a desired amount of product from the flexible vessel, the open upper part of the vessel can be pressed between the first reclosure flap and the second reclosure flap, and the reclosure flaps pivoted inwardly toward one another with the upper part of the vessel held therebetween. The reclosure flaps secure the opened upper end of the vessel and provide a relatively tight seal for the vessel's open end. The reclosure flaps can be selectively opened to dispense further vessel contents and subsequently reclosed.

According to another aspect of the first embodiment, the height of the carton can be reduced by removing the upper section of the carton. The carton may be reduced in height when, for example, a portion of the contents of the carton have been consumed or otherwise dispensed. The remainder of the contents, which are accommodated within the reclosable lower section of the carton, are thereby stored in a carton which occupies less space than the original carton. The reduced size of the carton also allows a consumer to visually evaluate the reduced amount of product remaining in the carton, which may serve as cue to purchase more product.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate the above stated advantages and other advantages and benefits of various additional embodiments reading the following detailed description of the embodiments with reference to below-listed drawing figures.

According to common practice, the various features of the drawings discussed below are not necessarily drawn to scale. Dimensions of various features and elements in the drawings may be expanded or reduced to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blank used to form a carton according to a first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the carton in a partially erected state.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the erected carton.

FIG. 4 is a partial end view of the carton.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a tear strip of the carton being removed.

FIG. 7 illustrates the carton with an upper section of the carton removed, leaving a reclosable lower section.

FIG. 8 is a partial view of a first end of the reclosable lower section being closed.

FIG. 9 is a partial view of a second end of the reclosable lower section being closed.

FIG. 10 is a partial view of the first end of the reclosable lower section being closed.

FIG. 11 illustrates the reclosable lower section closed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present embodiments are addressed to a carton that is separable into an upper section and a reclosable lower section. The reclosable lower section may accommodate a flexible vessel that is accessible after the upper section is removed, and includes a reclosure feature that allows an upper portion of the flexible vessel to be relatively tightly closed after opening. In this specification, the terms “lower,” “upper,” “side,” “bottom,” and “top” indicate orientations determined in relation to a fully erected, upright carton.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a first, interior side of a blank 8 used to form a carton 150 (illustrated in FIG. 3) according to a first embodiment of the invention. The blank 8 comprises a first end panel 10 foldably connected to a first side panel 50 at a first transverse fold line 51, a second end panel 70 foldably connected to the first side panel 50 at a second transverse fold line 71, and a second side panel 100 foldably connected to the second end panel 70 at a third transverse fold line 101.

The first end panel 10 is foldably connected to a first end top flap 16 and a first end bottom flap 18. The first side panel 50 is foldably connected to a first side top flap 56 and a first side bottom flap 58. The second end panel 70 is foldably connected to a second end top flap 76 and a second end bottom flap 78. The second side panel 100 is foldably connected to a second side top flap 106 and a second side bottom flap 108. The top flaps 16, 56, 76, 106 extend along an upper or top marginal area of the blank 8 and may be foldably connected at an upper longitudinally extending fold line 82. The bottom flaps 18, 58, 78, 108 extend along a lower or bottom marginal area of the blank 8 and may be foldably connected at a lower longitudinally extending fold line 84. The longitudinal fold lines 82, 84 may be straight fold lines, or may be offset at one or more locations to account for, for example, blank thickness or other factors. When the carton 150 is erected, the top flaps 16, 56, 76, 106 close a top opening of the carton 150, and the bottom flaps 18, 58, 78, 108 close a bottom opening of the carton 150 (illustrated in FIG. 3).

According to one exemplary aspect of the present invention, the blank 8 includes a tear strip 40 that divides the first end panel 10 into upper and lower first end panel sections 12, 14, the first side panel 50 into upper and lower first side panel sections 52, 54, the second end panel 70 into upper and lower second end panel sections 72, 74, and the second side panel 100 into upper and lower second side panel sections 102, 104. An adhesive panel 112 may be foldably connected to the upper second side panel section 102, and adhesive panels 114, 116 may be foldably connected to the lower second side panel section 104. A longitudinal fold line 62 extends along the length of the blank 8, and defines a bottom edge of a first reclosure flap 64 in the lower first side panel section 54. The longitudinal fold line 62 also defines a bottom edge of a second reclosure flap 66 in the lower second side panel section 104. The tear strip 40 defines the upper edges of the first and second reclosure flaps 64, 66, and may include a pull tab 42 defined by at least one tear line 44.

The first end panel 10 includes a first reclosure pattern 20 at an upper portion of the first lower end panel section 14. The second end panel 70 includes a second reclosure pattern 80 at an upper portion of the second lower end panel section 74. The first and second reclosure patterns 20, 80 comprise lines of disruption that allow the end panels 10, 70 to deform in order to facilitate reclosable sealing of the carton, as discussed in detail below. In the exemplary embodiment, the first reclosure pattern 20 includes a longitudinal or horizontal cut/crease line 24 and a transverse or vertical cut/crease line 26 that intersect one another in the first end panel 10. Oblique crease lines 22 form an inverted V-shape over the intersecting cut/crease lines 24, 26. Similarly, the second reclosure pattern 80 includes intersecting cut/crease lines 84, 86 and crease lines 82 arranged in an inverted V-shape.

Each end panel 10, 70 includes a respective transverse or vertical crease line 19, 79 extending from the vertical cut/crease lines 26, 86, respectively, to the longitudinal fold line 84. The crease line 19 extends vertically through the first end panel 10 and intersects with a V-shaped crease line 30 near the bottom of the first end panel 10. The crease line 79 extends vertically through the second end panel 70 and intersects with a V-shaped crease line 90 near the bottom of the second end panel 70. The crease lines 19, 79, 30, 90 also facilitate reclosure of the first and second reclosure flaps 64, 66, as discussed in further detail below.

The first side top flap 56 can include a closure tab 60 that is sized to be received in a closure slit 110 formed in the second side top flap 106. The closure tab 60 and closure slit 110 provide for an optional method of reclosable sealing of the carton 150 (illustrated in FIG. 3) after the top panel of the carton is opened.

An exemplary process of erecting the carton 150 from the blank 8 will now be discussed with reference to FIGS. 1-4. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, glue or other adhesive is applied to the adhesive panels 112, 114, 116 on the exterior side of the blank 8. The adhesive can be, for example, liquid glue, glue strips, or other materials. The blank 8 is then folded so that the exterior sides of the adhesive panels 112, 114, 116 adhere to the interior side of the first end panel 10. The glued blank is then opened to have the closed, generally tubular form shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the erected carton 150. Referring also to FIG. 2, the carton 150 is fully erected when the top flaps 16, 56, 76, 106 are folded over and adhered to form a top panel 160, and the bottom flaps 18, 58, 78, 108 are folded over and adhered to form a bottom panel 170. A bag 140 (illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 11) or other flexible vessel may be inserted in the carton 150 in a conventional manner at any time before closing the flaps 16, 56, 76, 106, 18, 58, 78, 108. The bag 140 may be filled with product and then inserted into the carton, or, the bag 140 may be inserted empty and filled with product afterwards. The tear strip 40 may extend around all or substantially all of the perimeter of the carton 150.

In an optional method of opening and reclosing the carton 150, the top panel 160 of the carton 150 can be opened by pulling up on the top flap 56 and breaking the connection to the top flap 106. The opened top panel 160 can be subsequently reclosed by engaging the closure tab 60 with the closure slit 110. FIG. 3 illustrates the top panel 160 in a reclosed state, with the closure tab 60 inserted in the closure slit 110. The top panel 160 can be selectively opened and closed, for example, in order to dispense product from the flexible vessel 140 (illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 11) accommodated within the carton 150.

FIG. 4 is a partial end view of the carton 150 illustrating a portion of the first end panel 10 and the tear strip 40. The tear strip 40 with pull tab 42 is disposed adjacent to the top of the inverted V-shaped crease lines 22 of the first reclosure pattern 20, with the pull tab 42 extending from the corner of the carton 150 so that it may be easily grasped. The cut-crease line 26 and the crease line 19 extend generally vertically through the first end panel 10. Similarly, at the second end of the carton 150 (not shown in FIG. 4), the cut-crease line 86 and the crease line 79 extend vertically through the second end panel 70.

A method of opening and reclosure of the carton 150 will now be discussed with reference to FIGS. 5-11. According to the method illustrated in FIGS. 5-11, the carton 150 can be selectively opened and reclosed so that the contents of a bag 140 or other vessel accommodated within the carton 150 may be dispensed and then securely retained in a reclosable section of the carton.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the tear strip 40 is grasped at the pull tab 42 and pulled away from the surface of the carton 150. The tear strip 40 is then pulled around the entire perimeter of the carton 150. The upper section of the carton 150 located above the tear strip 40 can now be separated from the lower section of the carton and discarded along with the tear strip.

FIG. 7 is a partial top perspective view of the carton 150 with the tear strip 40 removed, and the upper section of the carton 150 discarded. A reclosable lower carton section 200 of the original carton 150 remains. For illustrative purposes, the bag 140 disposed within the reclosable lower carton section 200 is not shown in FIG. 7.

The bag 140 can accommodate, for example, foodstuffs and other dispensable product. Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, with the upper section of the carton 150 removed, the bag 140 can be opened and the contents of the bag can be accessed and/or dispensed from the open top of the lower section 200. After a desired amount of product is dispensed, the reclosable lower section 200 can be reclosed to seal the bag 140. Reclosure of the lower section 200 is discussed below with reference to FIGS. 8-11.

Referring to FIG. 8, the reclosure process is illustrated at the lower first end panel 14 end of the reclosable lower section 200. The lower second end panel 74 at the opposite end of the lower section 200 undergoes the same process when reclosing the lower section 200. Reclosure is initiated by pulling the lower first end panel 14 outwardly at the reclosure pattern 20, so that the lower first end panel 14 deforms outwardly at the cut-crease line 26 (illustrated in FIG. 1) and also bends at the lines 22, 24. The lower second end panel 74 (not shown) is similarly pulled outwardly at the reclosure pattern 80 and deforms at the lines 82, 84, 86 (illustrated in FIG. 1). The bag 140 is pressed between the first reclosure flap 64 (not shown in FIG. 8) and the second reclosure flap 66 as the upper portions of the lower end panels 14, 74 extend outwardly. The folded upper portions of the lower end panels 14, 74 are then pivoted downwardly in the direction of the curved arrow.

FIG. 9 illustrates the second end of the lower section 200 during reclosure of the section. The bag 140 is not shown in FIG. 9 or 10 so that folding of the lower end panels 14, 74 is more clearly illustrated. Referring to FIG. 9, the deformed portion of the lower second end panel 74 is pivoted downwardly in the direction of the curved arrow.

Referring to FIG. 10, as the deformed upper portions of the lower end panels 14, 74 are pivoted downwardly, the second reclosure flap 66 rotates inwardly in the direction of the curved arrow. At the same time, the first reclosure flap 64 pivots inwardly in the direction of the other curved arrow. The bag 140 is pressed between the first and second reclosure flaps 64, 66, as illustrated in FIG. 11.

Referring to FIG. 11, the bag 140 is tightly pressed between the underside of the first reclosure flap 64 and the upper side of the second reclosure flap 66, and extends toward one side of the section 200 from beneath the first reclosure flap 64. The lower section 200 is now in its reclosed state, with the upper portion of the bag 140 held between the first and second reclosure flaps 64, 66 in a relatively tight seal.

According to one aspect of the above-described embodiment, the lower carton section 200 can be reclosed with a relatively tight seal. The seal is particularly advantageous when product held within the carton is perishable or otherwise sensitive to the outside environment.

According to another aspect of the first embodiment, the height of the carton 150 is reduced when the carton is separated into the upper and lower sections. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 11, the height of the carton 150, which may generally coincide with the height of the side panels 50, 100, is larger than the height of the bottom carton section 200 in its reclosed state. The height of the bottom carton section 200 may be, for example, less than about 80% of the height of the carton 150. Therefore, after a portion of the carton contents have been dispensed, the remainder of the contents can be stored in the bottom carton section 200 that occupies less space than the carton 150. The reduced size of the carton also allows a consumer to roughly visually evaluate the reduced amount of product remaining in the carton, which may serve as cue to purchase more product.

In the illustrated embodiment, the flexible vessel in the carton 150 is a bag 140. The bag may be formed from, for example, plastics or other materials. Other types of vessels, such as paper, etc. may be used depending upon the nature of the product to be accommodated within the flexible vessel.

In the illustrated embodiment, the tear strip 40 is illustrated as a single continuous filament tear strip that may be removed in a single operation. The tear strip may, however, be a segmented strip that is removeable in stages. In practice, any tear strip form that allows a user to separate the carton 150 into upper and lower sections may be used. The tear strip may be combined with 100% and/or partial cuts or scores in the blank 8 to facilitate removal of the tear strip.

In the illustrated method of reclosing the lower section 200, the second reclosure flap 66 is illustrated as folded under the first reclosure flap 64, with the bag 140 extending toward the lower second side panel 104. The lower section 200 may, however, alternatively be reclosed by folding the first reclosure flap 64 under the second reclosure flap 66. In this method of reclosure, the bag 104 would extend toward the lower first side panel 54.

The lower section 200 may, for example, be reclosed without pressing a flexible vessel between the reclosure flaps 64, 66. For example, if no flexible vessel were present in the lower section 200, the reclosure flaps 64, 66 could be closed as illustrated in FIG. 10. Or, a user may elect to tuck a flexible vessel into the interior of the lower section 200 and close the flaps 64, 66 over the vessel.

The blank 8 can be, for example, formed from hard paper, paperboard and similar materials. In the exemplary embodiment discussed above, the blank is formed from clay coated newsprint (CCN). In general, the blank may be constructed of paperboard, having a caliper of at least about 14, so that it is heavier and more rigid than ordinary paper. The blank, and thus the carton, can also be constructed of other materials, such as cardboard, or any other material having properties suitable for enabling the carton to function at least generally as described above.

The first and second sides of the blank can be coated with, for example, a clay coating. The clay coating may then be printed over with product, advertising, and other information or images. The blank may then be coated with a varnish to protect any information printed on the blank. The blank may also be coated with, for example, a moisture barrier layer, on either or both sides of the blank. The blank can also be laminated to or coated with one or more sheet-like materials at selected panels or panel sections.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiments, a fold line can be any substantially linear, although not necessarily straight, form of weakening that facilitates folding therealong. More specifically, but not for the purpose of narrowing the scope of the present invention, fold lines include: a score line, such as lines formed with a blunt scoring knife, or the like, which creates a crushed portion in the material along the desired line of weakness; a cut that extends partially into a material along the desired line of weakness, and/or a series of cuts that extend partially into and/or completely through the material along the desired line of weakness; and various combinations of these features.

The above embodiments are described as having one or more panels adhered together by glue. The term “glue” is intended to encompass all manner of adhesives commonly used to secure carton panels in place.

The foregoing description of the invention illustrates and describes the present invention. Additionally, the disclosure shows and describes only selected embodiments of the invention, but it is to be understood that the invention is capable of use in various other combinations, modifications, and environments and is capable of changes or modifications within the scope of the inventive concept as expressed herein, commensurate with the above teachings, and/or within the skill or knowledge of the relevant art. 

1. A blank for forming a carton, comprising: a first side panel; a first end panel; a second side panel; a second end panel; at least one top flap extending across a first marginal portion of the blank; at least one bottom flap extending across a second marginal portion of the blank; and at least one tear strip extending along at least substantially an entire length of the blank, through the first side panel, the first end panel, the second side panel, and the second end panel, the at least one tear strip at least partially defining a first reclosure flap in the first side panel and a second reclosure flap in the second side panel.
 2. The blank of claim 1, wherein: the at least one tear strip divides the first side panel into a lower first side panel section and an upper first side panel section; and the at least one tear strip divides the second side panel into a lower second side panel section and an upper second side panel section.
 3. The blank of claim 2, wherein: the at least one tear strip divides the first end panel into a lower first end panel section and an upper first end panel section; and the at least one tear strip divides the second end panel into a lower second end panel section and an upper second end panel section.
 4. The blank of claim 3, further comprising a first reclosure pattern in the first end panel adjacent to the at least one tear strip.
 5. The blank of claim 4, wherein the first reclosure pattern comprises a plurality of lines of disruption in the first end panel.
 6. The blank of claim 5, further comprising a second reclosure pattern in the second end panel adjacent to the at least one tear strip.
 7. The blank of claim 4, further comprising a crease in the first end panel adjacent to the at least one bottom flap.
 8. The blank of claim 3, wherein a height of the upper first side panel section plus a height of the at least one tear strip is at least 20% of a height of the first side panel.
 9. The blank of claim 6, wherein a height of the upper first side panel section plus a height of the at least one tear strip is at least 20% of a height of the first side panel.
 10. The blank of claim 1, wherein the at least one top flap comprises a first side top flap foldably connected to the first side panel and a second side top flap foldably connected to the second side panel.
 11. The blank of claim 2, wherein a length of the first side panel is approximately equal to a length of the second side panel.
 12. The blank of claim 11, wherein the first side panel, the first end panel, the second side panel, and the second end panel are substantially rectangular.
 13. The blank of claim 1, wherein the blank is constructed of paperboard.
 14. A carton, comprising: a first side panel; a first end panel; a second side panel; a second end panel; a top panel; a bottom panel, wherein the first side panel, the first end panel, the second side panel, the second end panel, the top panel and the bottom panel form a substantially parallelepipedal enclosure; at least one tear strip extending through the first side panel, the first end panel, the second side panel, and the second end panel, the at least one tear strip at least partially defining a first reclosure flap in the first side panel and a second reclosure flap in the second side panel; and a flexible vessel disposed within the substantially parallelepipedal enclosure.
 15. The carton of claim 14, wherein: the at least one tear strip divides the first side panel into a lower first side panel section and an upper first side panel section; and the at least one tear strip divides the second side panel into a lower second side panel section and an upper second side panel section.
 16. The carton of claim 15, wherein: the at least one tear strip divides the first end panel into a lower first end panel section and an upper first end panel section; and the at least one tear strip divides the second end panel into a lower second end panel section and an upper second end panel section.
 17. The carton of claim 16, further comprising a first reclosure pattern in the first end panel adjacent to the at least one tear strip, wherein the first reclosure pattern comprises a plurality of lines of disruption in the first end panel.
 18. The carton of claim 17, further comprising a second reclosure pattern in the second end panel adjacent to the at least one tear strip.
 19. The carton of claim 16, wherein a height of the upper first side panel section plus a height of the at least one tear strip is at least 20% of a height of the carton.
 20. The carton of claim 14, wherein the top panel comprises a plurality of top flaps and the bottom panel comprises a plurality of bottom flaps.
 21. A method of opening and reclosing carton, comprising: providing a carton according to claim 14; tearing the at least one tear strip around a perimeter of the carton to separate the carton into an upper section and a reclosable lower section.
 22. The method of claim 21, further comprising: pressing an upper portion of the flexible vessel between the first reclosure flap and the second reclosure flap; and pivoting the first reclosure flap and the second reclosure flap inwardly toward one another, wherein the upper portion of the flexible vessel remains pressed between the first reclosure flap and the second reclosure flap.
 23. A method opening and reclosing carton, comprising: providing a carton according to claim 18; tearing the at least one tear strip around a perimeter of the carton to separate the carton into an upper section and a reclosable lower section; pressing an upper portion of the flexible vessel between the first reclosure flap and the second reclosure flap; deforming a portion of the first end panel outwardly at the first reclosure pattern; deforming a portion of the second end panel outwardly at the second reclosure pattern; and pivoting the first reclosure flap and the second reclosure flap inwardly toward one another, wherein the upper portion of the flexible vessel remains pressed between the first reclosure flap and the second reclosure flap.
 24. The method of claim 23, further comprising pivoting the deformed portion of the first end panel downwardly before pivoting the first reclosure flap and the second reclosure flap inwardly toward one another.
 25. A method of opening and reclosing carton, comprising: providing a carton comprising an upper section and a lower section, the upper section being separable from the lower section, and the lower section comprising a first reclosure flap and a second reclosure flap; providing a flexible vessel within the carton; separating the upper section from the lower section, wherein the flexible vessel remains in the lower section; and pivoting the first reclosure flap and the second reclosure flap inwardly toward one another with the flexible vessel held between the flaps.
 26. A method of opening and reclosing carton, comprising: providing a carton comprising an upper section and a lower section, the upper section being separable from the lower section, and the lower section comprising a first reclosure flap and a second reclosure flap; separating the upper section from the lower section; deforming an upper part of a first end of the lower section; deforming an upper part of a second end of the carton; pivoting the deformed upper part of the first end downwardly; pivoting the deformed upper part of the second end downwardly; and pivoting the first reclosure flap and the second reclosure flap inwardly toward one another. 